Hearty Grilled Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

What a hectic morning it was! I'm glad to have had the time to make this great lunch and enjoy a few moments of peace. This is simple to prepare, satisfying for even the heartiest of appetites and takes two hands to manage it! My twist on the standard grilled cheese sandwich is filled with thick slices of summer's freshest vegetables, roasted until sweet and caramelized and tasty, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil.

Hearty Grilled Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

Ingredients:

olive oil spray or vegetable spray

4 - 1/2" thick slices of white eggplant

2 - 1/2" thick slices of purple eggplant

1 large Portabella mushroom, stem removed

2 - 2" wide slices of red bell pepper

3 to 4 medium plum tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

6 cloves of garlic, whole with skin removed

2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 fresh basil leaves, or to taste

2 - 1 1/2 ounce slices good Italian bread, sliced on the diagonal

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350'

Arrange all of the vegetables on a cookie sheet and lightly coat with the olive oil spray or vegetable spray and season as desired on both sides with salt and pepper. Roast in oven, turning once during cooking, until tender and caramelized. Check vegetables frequently after 20 minutes as they will begin to be ready. Remove and set aside as they are done. When the garlic is golden brown place in small bowl, mash with a fork and reserve

Begin assembling the sandwich for grilling by spreading the roasted garlic on both slices of Italian bread. Next, arrange half the mozzarella cheese and vegetables beginning with the eggplant, bell pepper, tomato and fresh basil leaves. Top with the roasted mushroom and arrange the rest of the vegetables on top of it in the reverse order. The final ingredient will be the rest of the mozzarella cheese and the roasted garlic coated bread.

To grill the sandwich, preheat a medium saute pan on medium low heat. Lightly spray with olive oil and add the pat of butter. Place the sandwich in the pan and grill for about 5 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Carefully turn the sandwich over and repeat. If needed, lightly spray the bread with olive oil or vegetable spray before turning.

Yields one serving = 410 calories, 2 protein exchanges, 2 vegetable exchanges, 1 fat exchange.